No Poker Faces Here

Posted on Thu Jun 11th, 2015 @ 8:50pm by Captain Li Hawke & Suresh & Commander Oralia Zeferino & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: The cha'Do'

"I'm just sayin', Li, this game would be way more interesting if that was the ante," Darwin grinned sardonically. Oz tossed a pretzel at him, which he deftly caught and ate.

“You’re forgetting how badly you lost to us last time.” Li grinned at Darwin. “You already have two bets to pay off now.”

"Ah, but I'm winning this time!" Darwin laughed and winked at her.

“I fold.” Suresh stretched as he asked, "Hey, what happened to Naral?"

"Oh, ah...," Darwin looked a little sheepish. "Well, once we were cleared, Captain Roshan believed me about Naral and helped interrogate him."

"Helped?" Oz's grin faded.

"Yeah. Not in a way you or I would have helped," Darwin confirmed. "But he gave a name and I'm going to follow up on that when we get back."

"What name?" She had been calling Gilroy and Jackson and Commander Leroy, checking in and giving updates, while Darwin, she thought, had been helping get provisions. He had already told her that Nelvana's security was holding Naral for retrieval by Elba II personnel. He would be tried and incarcerated by their system. He hadn't told her Naral had talked.

"Ah, let's not toss that around yet, Oz." Darwin hedged away from revealing the name, even when Oz did give him a glare that made him wonder whether his pips or his person were in danger. "Special Investigator's privilege!"

“‘Fess up, Darwin,”Li ordered. “Tell us who? My curiosity’s been killing me this whole time.”

Frowning, Darwin shot a look at Li. "I don't quite believe what Naral said. He claims Seyla helped Suresh. But she's been better off without him - in more ways than one. She'd have a lot to lose by helping him and nothing to gain."

Suresh frowned. “Seyla? That doesn’t make sense. With him gone, she’s had a free hand down below. Why would she help free him, knowing that with his obsession, he would come back? He didn’t seem the type to let anyone else have what he considered his for long.” There were other reasons he thought Seyla better off but he kept those to himself.

"That, and he liked to beat on her when his obsession wasn't around," Darwin commented.

"Well, bring her in for questioning, Dar. You'll get to the bottom of it," Oz said. She was surprised by Darwin's statement. Seyla? Ms. Always-in-control? She would let Suresh hit her?

Li laid down her cards, her black eyes riveted on Darwin. “He did….WHAT?”

"Ah...," he glanced at Suresh and knew he was about to dig himself deeper, "does he know about Isha?"

Suresh nodded. “Both versions. “My version tried to kill Li, remember?”

“Spill it Darwin,” Li demanded. “Are you telling me that he took his frustration with me out on Seyla?”

"Yes, he did," Darwin nodded, slowly, not looking at Li. He shifted in his chair.

"How badly and why didn't...? Nevermind, I can imagine why she didn't report it," Oralia rubbed her forehead. She could also imagine just how Darwin knew about this.

“And you didn’t report it either? I never thought they were that close, that he would...that I would be the reason she suffered. What a sick fuck.” She pushed back from the table and walked away towards the cabins. “I wish I could kill him all over again,” she said as she vanished from sight into her room. I need a minute… she sent to Oz.

Darwin started to rise but Oz grabbed his arm and shook her head. "It was in my reports, Oz," he said quietly. "I didn't mention it in our meetings, though."

"It's okay, Mike. It's a bit of a shock. And highlights that I need to read your reports a little closer in the future," she said.

"Honestly, I think it was a way for her to control him." When her brows furrowed, he added, "She kept him from harming any of her girls and... being the one that he went to...," he shrugged, "...made her essential to him."

“That’s a hard thing to hear though,” Suresh commented. “I can imagine that she…”He motioned towards the cabins, “feels like it’s all her fault now. But Dar….Seyla wasn’t helpless in all this. She could have made some noise about it and didn’t. She didn’t want it getting out did she?”

"Right." He nodded and had an inkling of another reason why she didn't complain, but didn't bring that one up. It would give Seyla motive to help Suresh escape prison. Love was a damnable, crazy thing. "He paid her, too, so it wasn't...," he shrugged again and waved off his thought.

Oz stood and went down to the galley. When she came back, she had two mugs of hot chocolate in hand. Li? You okay? I have chocolate. She didn't know if Li was tuned in or not, but she tried. She set one mug at Li's spot and sat again. "So... for payment, Seyla lets clients abuse her? And her employees?"

Darwin looked uncomfortable. "It's voluntary."

“She has a couple of the women who specialize in that sort of thing. I didn’t think Seyla ever did though,” Suresh volunteered. He looked back towards the cabins. “Want me to drag her back out here among the living?”

"We'll give her a minute," Oz said. "I'm shocked, but didn't just hear that I was the cause...," she looked at Darwin, who managed to look even more uncomfortable and guilty.

“It was a complicated situation all around,” Suresh said quietly. He rested a hand on Darwin’s arm a moment. “It was that bastard’s fault when you get right down to it, though I suppose we’ll all be feeling the fallout for a while.”

"Yup," he nodded. "To be clear, I don't feel bad for Seyla; I feel bad that I just blurted that out without thinking about Li."

“She would have found out sooner or later,” Suresh said softly. “Better from you, don’t you think?”

"Better than from Seyla, that's for sure," Darwin agreed.

“What happens when Seyla hears about that Suresh?” Suresh asked. “She’s going to hold us all responsible.” He turned to Oz now. “Security issue maybe?”

"It will be," Oralia nodded. "But she'd have to have rocks in her head to come after us." She sighed and called out, "Li! Come on, your chocolate is getting cold!"

The door opened and LI stepped out, wiping her hand on her pants leg. She returned to the table and when she looked at the group, they could see her eyes were still red from tears shed. She held up her hand, her expression firm. “Not a word.” None of them had ever seen her cry except Oz. Once. “What did I miss?”

"Nothing," Darwin said, "Though we decided clothing as ante is a good idea. Ante up!" He grinned broadly but it was a front for how he felt.

Li studied him for a moment, then finally smiled. “Don’t worry about it Darwin. It was a shock, yes but I don’t know why I am surprised. All the things he did…” she shook her head. “It seems that we are not the only ones better off now that he is gone.” A slow smile spread over her face. “Now, lose the funk. You in or not?”

This time, his smile was genuine. "I'm in!"

**************
Captain Li Hawke

Commander Oralia Zeferino

Lt. M. Darwin

Suresh

On Their Way Home